Monday, November 15, 2010

Post Oil Spill Disaster Beach Views

Yesterday I took a little walk by the beach and enjoyed watching the birds playing at the water's edge. They were clearly finding tasty tidbits there and were seemingly oblivious to the disaster that fell upon the Gulf this spring and summer. The vehicles in this shot are part of the group of about 50 workers that are combing the beach for debris and any indications of the oil spill. We cannot see any evidence that oil came on shore, likely because of their hard work here. The sun is blazing down on them as they sift by hand and by machine.

The birds still play but for those of you who have followed my posts from this location last year and the year before, there is one obvious difference. The absence of shells is clear when you look at this shot. Where the birds are was once teaming with Heart Cockles, Choral, Scallop shells, Lettered Olives etc. This time of year was the best for beach combing and there is nothing! Nothing rolling in beyond the waters edge either.

The worker's dune buggies drive back and forth along the beach now...where in prior years the space was deserted!

It is important to keep up the work on the clean-up for sure but it does change the peaceful landscape that I am so fond of. The manager of the park told us that the park was nearly deserted all summer, a time when the beaches are normally acutely alive with children playing, water craft and sun bathers. The area around us seems to be suffering from the lack of tourists as well. Locals are afraid of eating the seafood from the area, some even worried about stepping into the waters of the Gulf where dispersant had been used to battle the oil spill. I myself have ventured into the waters of the Gulf up to my ankles and thorougly enjoyed the local shrimp that a fellow camper prepared for our first pot luck!